Should I Be Expecting A Card?
by bigred08
Summary: [RayNeela] Ray tags along when Neela goes shopping. He gets her to help him get a Mother’s Day present. She buys a dress for night out with the girls. He also buys her something and eventually is handsomely rewarded. LAST CHAPTER IS T plus or maybe M!
1. Jewelry

**Should I Be Expecting a Card?**

**Disclaimer**: You know it, I know it. I own none of the characters.  
**Spoilers**: Nothing significant. Minor details from late season 12. If any of this happens, I'm psychic and I didn't even know it. I doubt it ever will, though it'd be cute if it did.  
**Rating**: T+ (language, sensuality/sexuality)  
**Content Warning**: Starts out very nonsexual. Rather sexually explicit at the end. Minor mention of some other touchy subjects.  
**Summary**: Ray tags along when Neela goes shopping. He gets her to help him get a Mother's Day present. She buys a dress for night out with the girls. He also buys her something and eventually is handsomely rewarded.  
**A/N**: As requested, here's a happy story from me...  
I made up Neela's birthday and everything about Ray's mom (obviously, since we don't know anything about her from the show…except that she lives in Philly). I have never been to Chicago, except for layovers in O'Hare airport. Sorry about any inaccuracy about the transportation/stores in the Windy City. I am kind of ignorant about the fashion business too, so I don't know if it would be possible for his mom to live in Philly and have the job she does.

It's kind of an AU, I guess. Abby is pregnant; Neela is in surgical residency; but Ray is also still in the band, and Susan Lewis is still there. And Gallant is non-existent.

Ok, on to the story…

* * *

**Jewelry**

"I don't want to get her something really generic, you know?" They were walking down the sidewalk to the El station. "But I haven't lived at home for 10 years…"

"Why don't you just ask your dad? He probably knows something about his wife," she taunted.

"Hey now, be nice…no, he always comes home late from work with a dozen roses, and hopes that'll cut it. They've been happily married for almost 30 years and he still doesn't get it. _I _get it, and the longest I've been with a girl is—" Neela cut him off.

"What's your point Ray? As much as I am dying to know the history of your sex life…"

"I'm just saying any female is probably more help than my dad. I've made sure that there is always at least one girl not mad at me before mother's day, so she can tell me what to get my mom." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright. Well, what does your mum like?" He looked at her blankly. She rolled her eyes again. "Cooking? Sports? Gardening? Theater? You haven't lived at home for 10 years, but you grew up there for 18!"

"Yeah," he answered sheepishly. "She's really into clothes and stuff. She's 45—" Neela looked at him with quite a surprised expression. "Yeah, she had me young," he added parenthetically before continuing with his previous thought. "She's 45 and she still is obsessed with clothes like a teenager." They walked into the El station.

"Where does she work?"

"She designs stuff for…umm…Saks no, wait not anymore, uh, Armani, I'm pretty sure. She was apparently one of the major designers for last year's spring line." She laughed at his mistake, and also his knowledge of fashion. "Or something."

"Then she probably doesn't spend her afternoons at The Limited and Abercrombie, Ray. She's into _fashion_, not just _clothes_."

"Now you see why I need help?" She laughed at him again. They swiped their El passes and got on the waiting platform.

"Yes. Yes I do." It was his turn to smile. "What else is she into though, because you don't want to get the wrong size or anything."

"Actually, she is probably the same size you wear. And, I could lie and tell her I picked it out all by myself and she can feel good that she had some impact on me growing up." He grinned.

"Lie to her?" She scolded lightly, "on Mother's Day?"

"Yeah, ok, maybe not such a great idea…but seriously, would she like that?"

"Maybe. We can check out what we can find. I was going to go to H&M and there are a bunch of high end clothing stores near that area, I think."

"Great. I knew you'd help."

"Your confidence is heartwarming," sarcasm dripped from the last word. They boarded the car of the train that stopped in front of them.

"Forty five, huh?"

"Yeah, mom was on the cheerleading team, dad was the star of the soccer team…it's all very the why-you-should-always-use-protection chapter out of high school health class textbooks."

"Hmm. It's very lucky they are still happily married well over 25 years later."

"Yeah, they're definitely the minority in that respect."

"She must be an amazing woman to have become so successful while raising a kid." She was sincere, but then added playfully, "'cause you didn't turn out so bad." She grinned at him.

"She really is." He nodded, solemnly. "And it's weird, she—," he cut himself off, "never mind."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Oh come on, what?"

"Nah, maybe I'll tell you later." He had kept his serious tone. She eyed him suspiciously. His smile returned. "Ok, I _will_ tell you later. Is that better?"

"Much."

There were two more stops before theirs and they rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. At the third stop, Neela nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, Ray, this is us."

"Oh, right." They got off and headed in the direction of the high end stores. "I don't want to get her something she already has…"

"True."

"Oh!" he exclaimed spotting a store up ahead, "I used to hear her complain to her sister that she never got anything from Tiffany's. I always thought that was another given in marriage. Your wife has to own _something _from Tiffany's. I could try to cover dad's back and get her something there." She laughed.

"And I guess size won't be an issue either! Unless you are getting a ring, but I won't let you get your mother a ring."

"I wouldn't, but why not?"

"Tiffany's rings are for fiancés and wives."

"Makes sense."

"You don't send a thank you card for Tiffany's rings, you have sex." He was shocked. Out of character didn't even begin to describe her comment.

"So I should get you a ring?" He grinned, looking adorably mischievous.

"I'd wear it on a necklace, and give you a card." She looked up at him and smiled. _Clever_, he thought. By now they had reached the strip of stores, Chicago's Fifth Avenue.

"By the way, you might recall that I was planning on coming here before you tagged along. There's stuff I need to get too. How about you go in there," she pointed to the light blue awning of Tiffany's, "I'll get started on my own stuff, and we can meet up elsewhere."

"Come with me, I'll be quick." She sighed.

"Alright."

They stepped into the store. The light blue velvet in the display cases created a soft sea for the silver jewelry and sparkling diamonds.

"Wow. Lots of options." He was a little taken aback, apparently never having been in a fine jewelry store. He started looking over the displays, and Neela wandered over to another one.

"When's your mum's birthday?"

"Having fun on our little expedition? So eager to do it again?" There was that mischievous grin again.

"No, you wanker, what's her birthstone?" She was mock-angry.

"Oh, May, emerald."

"Really? Good month." He looked at her not understanding what she meant. "That's mine too," she added.

"Oh, right." _I knew that_, he scolded himself. "That's why I'm willing to go so pricy, you know? Have it double as a birthday present."

"Not a bad idea. Come look at these, Ray." She pulled him over from where he was standing at the next display case down.

"Wow, those are pretty."

"Does she have her ears pierced? Those earrings are gorgeous."

"Yeah they are, but no, she doesn't. How about that bracelet? What do you think of it?"

"Personally, I think it's a little bulky, but it is very nice."

"How about this—you pick a couple things you like, and I'll get one of them. Your taste is probably more like my mother's than mine is."

"Ok, I guess so." She answered, mulling over the case. He wandered to the other end of the case. The woman behind the counter finished with her customer, and came over to Ray. She was an older woman, with graying hair, but friendly and lively.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

"Oh, no, I'm just looking, she's picking things out." He pointed over to Neela, and the woman nodded and walked over to where Neela was looking.

"Is there anything I can help youwith?"

"Yes, please, could I see those two bracelets and that necklace?" she asked, indicating the pieces she wanted.

"Sure." The clerk unlocked the back of the case and brought out the items Neela requested. "Would you like to try them on?" Neela glanced over at Ray. He was engrossed in a case of silver trays and flatware, looking quite occupied.

"I'll try this bracelet."

"Ok," she wrapped it around Neela's wrist and fastened the clasp. Neela picked up her hand and rotated it around, allowing the light to catch it at different angles.

"It is beautiful." She extended her arm back out for the woman to remove the jewels. "Can I try the necklace, too?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." She handed it to Neela, and picked up the mirror for her to look at her reflection. Neela reached up and touched the diamond tear drops and emeralds that hung off the silver chain. She turned to let it catch the light coming in the window.

"It hangs very nicely on you, dear." He heard the woman say to his roommate. She reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace. The light reflected just right to catch Ray's eye. He glanced over as she handed the necklace back to the woman.

"Thank you," Neela sounded slightly embarrassed.

"Anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you," then she turned away from the woman and added, "Ray, one of these three."

"You're the best Neela." He smiled at her and she gave him one in return. He walked over to the pieces lying on top of the display case. Something in another case grabbed Neela's attention, and she left Ray to decide. He talked with the woman for several minutes as she told him the cut and purity of each of the stones. He kind of knew what she was talking about. He finally decided on one of the bracelets.

"This is a very nice bracelet, sir, it was one of the ones she tried on." She smiled.

"Could you actually keep this on hold, and I'll come back this afternoon?"

"Yes, but you will need to make a deposit." He nodded and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. "Fifteen percent." The woman returned the other jewelry to the case and they walked to the register.

--o--

"All done?" Neela had ambled over to the register as he finished making his deposit.

"Yup, let's go." As they stepped out of the store, Neela looked over at him, and saw he wasn't carrying anything.

"Where'd you put it?" He laughed.

"No, I just put down a deposit on it, and we'll stop here on our way back. The 15 deposit was pricy, I don't want to carry it around all day." She nodded and chuckled.

"Good idea."

* * *

review! please! it's my crack! it keeps me happy! I like exclamation points:) 


	2. Clothes

The lovely people (characters) in this story belong not to me, but to some other lovely people, at NBC or Time Warner, or something like that.

A/N: I just noticed that in the last chapter, the percent symbol is apparently one of the symbols you can't use. I'd imagine it was pretty obvious, but the Ray's comment should have read "the 15 **percent **deposit was pricy, I didn't want to carry it around all day." It's weird what symbols are removed (the percent sign, at symbol, brackets, etc) and what aren't (#, $, &). Is that because of HTML code or something? (I know nothing about it, so it's a wild guess...) anyway, on to the story...

* * *

**Clothes**

They stepped into the H&M a little further down the street.

"I just need some more shirts for wearing under my surgical scrubs, it shouldn't take long."

"You don't want to make a fashion faux pas wearing what you wore in the ER?" he teased.

"No, you wanker, I have to wear blue in the OR." He gave her a confused look. "I don't know why." She answered his unasked question with a smile.

"Ok, that's fine."

"Oh wait, Abby also told me I had to buy a dress a little while ago."

"For what?"

"She wouldn't tell me, I don't know." Ray did. He smiled as he recalled the exchange he had with Abby months ago. She told him that he would be helping her plan a surprise party for Neela's birthday. Told him, not asked him.

Neela found the t-shirts she was looking for. She picked up a small.

"This is tiny!"

"Not really, it looks like it would fit you." She furrowed her eyebrows and picked up a medium too.

"I'm going to go …try… these …on…" her sentence faded out. He had started nodding at the beginning of it knowing where it was headed. After a few minutes she returned. Putting one neatly folded shirt back on the pile she looked through until she found three more of the size she had decided fit.

"So was I right?" She thought a few seconds, trying to figure out how to say that he was right, without actually _saying_ he was right. Being unsuccessful, she just looked at him with a mock frown. "I told you so."

They headed off in the direction of dresses. Going first to the sale rack, Neela started going through them looking for one she both liked and that was her size. Ray found much greater amusement in finding the most hideous dresses—on the sale because no one would be caught dead in them.

"Oooh, how about this one?" She looked over at him. He was holding up a light green prom-like dress. It was a strapless top and puffed out at the waist. That wasn't _so_ bad. The sequins, bows and ribbons however, made the dress perfectly hideous.

"Abby said a _black_ dress." She knew he was kidding, but still felt the need to stress the point.

"So, if I find this in black I should let you know?"

"Sure, Ray," she replied offhandedly. She didn't think that would really happen. Returning to actual possibilities, she pulled a few off the rack and added them to the pile of shirts in her arm.

"Ohhh Neeeeeela." He came around the end of the rack, holding up the dress, that he had, in fact, found in black. "Look what I found!" Her face fell. She quickly checked the tag.

"Sorry, Ray, it's not my size."

"Well, then you better tell me your size so I can find you one."

"As much as I would love to play dress ups like a child, I found some I actually _like_ and am going to go try them on."

"I'm hurt." He did his best to look hurt, but couldn't really stop laughing. "Hang on a sec, I'll put this back and come with you. I'm sure you'll want a second opinion."

"You're sure?"

"Ok, you'll _probably_ want a second opinion."

"I knew I should have gone shopping with Abby," she said to herself, but intentionally loud enough for Ray to hear.

"Hey!" She glanced back at him and smiled.

Neela opened a dressing room door and hung the dresses on the back. She handed Ray the t-shirts she had picked up earlier.

"Hold these," she commanded. _What is with women _telling_ me things instead of _asking_, I would in all likelihood say yes,_ he thought. He took them from her and sat on the couch outside the dressing rooms. After a few minutes, she opened the door.

"Umm, Ray, could you zip it the rest of the way up?"

"I told you you'd need me." He grinned triumphantly, and pulled the zipper the rest of the way up. She poked him in return, and went over to the full length mirrors. It was a simple sleeveless black dress, with a relatively low neckline and fell to the floor. After inspecting her reflection in the mirrors she went back over to Ray and turned her back to him.

"Unzip?"

"It's nice." Ray pulled the zipper down exposing her smooth back and black bra, giving his opinion even though she didn't ask. Mentally he added, 'it doesn't do justice to any of your very nice body.' He was glad she kept her back to him as she walked away, because he was pretty sure he blushed at the thought that came to his mind as well as the image that went with it.

She pulled the door open again. _This_, he thought, _is_ _more like it_. This dress had spaghetti straps and had a scooping neckline just showing the top of her cleavage. It clung to the curves of her breasts and hips.

"Ray? Ray!" He didn't realize she had been talking to him. Having finally gotten his attention, "can you zip me up please?" The zipper was on the side, and he guessed she could have done it herself if she wanted to. She went back to the mirrors, and then returned to him. "Unzip?" As he pulled the zipper down he realized there were no bra straps showing. _She is standing in front of me_, he thought, _as I unzip her dress, wearing only underwear beneath it_.

"I like this one better, by the way," he managed to choke out, successfully masking what was going through his mind.

"I think it's a little inappropriate for someone my age."

"For work? Yeah. But for going out, it is fine and accentuates your body nicely." She looked at him surprised and a little taken back. "What can I say? I grew up surrounded by women trying on clothes and being told how they look." He hoped his logical reasoning would cover the truth. In fact, how he was raised had nothing to do with how attractive he found her, or how beautiful he thought her body was. Giving him no reaction before retreating back into the dressing room, he guessed she bought his explanation. _Wow_, he thought, _I have a really hot Roomie_. He knew he shouldn't think of her like that, but he couldn't help it, and didn't have any incentive to stop himself anyway. She eventually emerged in another only moderately flattering dress.

"Is this too big?" she asked as she studied herself in the mirrors.

"Yup."

She pursed her lips then mumbled, "women's sizing is so stupid." She wasn't really talking to him, but he heard her and agreed.

"Yeah, I think they do that on purpose." He was talking to her through the door as she tried on the last one she had picked out.

"Why?"

"If they make it so you have to try clothes before you buy them _every time_ it makes you spend more time in the store. It's a clever way to get women addicted to clothes." She laughed.

"That's not a bad hypothesis!" She opened the door.

"That one. Get that one."

"It's not even zipped up yet, you don't know what it looks like," she gently scolded, though she had to admit that she liked it too. She walked over to him to let him zip it up. Looking at it on the rack he wouldn't have thought it would look sexy. On her body though, the fact that it didn't show a whole lot of skin didn't matter. The neckline was a fairly low V, it had long sleeves and was fitted through her hips then gently flared out. It hugged her thighs loosely, and cut off just above her knees.

"Ok, now it's zipped up and I still think you should get it." She was turning around looking at the dress from all angles in the mirrors.

Smiling, she replied, "I think I should get it too." Standing with her back to him she asked once more, "unzip?" He answered in the form of pulling the zipper down. He would have actually said 'yes' but he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get the word out without making a fool of himself. The images of her in his mind obstructed his ability to speak.

She changed back into street clothes, hung up the dresses she didn't want and took the other one and the t-shirts to the register. He stood to the side, out of the way, looking at her as she paid. The clothes she had put back on were jeans and a ¾ length sleeved shirt she had worn dozens of times before without him noticing. This afternoon though, to him, they looked very sexy. After a few more seconds of observation, he amended that thought. The clothes were nice. It was _her_ he had seen umpteen times before, without appreciating just how sexy she was. The first time he set eyes on her, sure, he noticed she was an attractive woman. As he continued to take her in, he realized that she was so much more than that. Obviously, she had a nice body. _But look at what else she's buying_. She was a doctor, about to start her surgical elective. She was beautiful _and_ smart. His standards suddenly shot through the roof. No one he'd ever been with before even came close to the level of his friend standing before him.

"I'm done." She snapped him out of his day dream.

"Ok, lets go home…via Tiffany's." She nodded.

--o--

There was a newspaper stand outside the jewelry store.

"You go in, I'm just going to look at the headlines."

"Ok."

He went up to the counter and told the woman he had a bracelet on hold.

"Yes, one moment, let's see," she was going through a few pieces of merchandise that had been placed on hold throughout the day, "here we are!"

"Great."

"You were smart to let her pick it out, some men think they know just the thing for their wives and girlfriends, but it really is always best to let her pick," she said as she rang up his total.

"Oh, no she's just my friend. She was actually helping me pick something for my mother." The woman looked slightly embarrassed. Much to her relief, he didn't seem to care, and pulled his wallet out. He started to hand her his credit card. "Actually…" he said, reconsidering. He walked over to the case where Neela had been looking. Standing in front of it, he tapped his card on top as he thought. He pointed at a necklace, "she was looking at that one when we were in here earlier, right?"

"I believe so, yes."

"I'll get that too, please. For her." The shopkeeper smiled and removed it from the case.

--o--

"Perfect timing, I was just finishing this article!"

"Nice," he replied, and smiled at her. She looked back at him wondering why he was looking at her like that. Sure, he smiled a lot, but this was a different, mysterious expression.

* * *

reviews are my anti-drug. 


	3. Dinner

Believe it or not, it's still the same disclaimer. The characters still aren't mine.

A/N: I forgot to say thanks for the reviews before! So here it is twice.  
Thanks for the chapter one reviews!  
Thanks for the chapter two reviews!  
hehe

* * *

**Dinner**

Sitting on the El, they were an amusing sight. Neela had her large H&M bag at her feet and dress folded in half on her lap, and Ray sat next to her holding a small light blue signature bag from Tiffany's. They sat quietly, worn out from the day of work and then the high stimulation of the city and shops.

Neela looked over at Ray, who was resting his head back, looking like he was about ready to fall asleep.

"Ray?" She startled him, and he jumped, drawing a chuckle out of both of them. "What were you starting to say before?" He looked at her, kind of blankly, so she added, "on the way in…" His expression didn't change. "You said you'd tell me..."

"Oh, umm, later." He said it decisively and leaned his head back again, and she took that to mean it was useless to try and pull it out of him right now.

After a few minutes she tried a different topic of conversation.

"So what was it like growing up with a mother who was a big designer? Did you spend a lot of time with your dad?"

"Dad was a cardiothoracic surgeon. He frequently left before I got up for school and came home long after I went to bed. It wouldn't be unusual for me to go a week without seeing him. I spent most of my time with my mom. But it meant I learned my fair share of designers…Saks and Armani, like I mentioned before, but there's also Versace, Gucci, Prada, Louis Viutton, Vera Wang, those are the easy ones of course, then there's Fendi and Guy Laroche, I really could go on and on." He grinned.

"I'm impressed."

"Come on, give me some credit; I grew up surrounded by _Vanity Fair_ magazines and runway shows."

"And models."

"Jealous?" he teased.

"No." She was only sort of lying. Truth be told, she _was_ a little jealous, though she didn't really know why. "It just explains a few things."

"Now what is that supposed to mean?"

"I'd imagine your list of one night stands was full of models long before you were in the band."

"Neela, I don't believe you. First of all, I was very different in high school, and secondly, since when did take such interest in my sex life?" He then added playfully, "this morning you specifically said you didn't want to know."

"I don't have an interest in it, other than the effect it has on my sleep patterns." He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"Umm, well, I apologize. But to answer your accusation, I have only slept with one model. It was in med-school and we were both students. She was modeling to pay her tuition."

"Sorry." It was her turn to not know what to say. "I'm just a little…tired, you know, long day," she managed to get out. There was a tense silence. The uncomfortable feeling dissipated as the trip went on, and by the time they got back to the apartment, the lack of conversation had become just one of the rare breaks from their usual banter.

--o--

Ray decided 'later' was now, and began his explanation of his earlier comment.

"My mom threw a party after my college graduation," he started as he walked toward his room to put down his merchandise. He continued when he came back out to the living room. "As I made my way around thanking all my parents' friends for their gifts and wishes of congratulations— did you ever wonder why all your _parents_ friends came to things like graduation parties?"

"Not really."

"It just seems odd to me that all _their_ friends—" He sat on the couch opposite his roommate.

"Ray, you're changing the subject."

"Well, I was _trying_…"

"And thought you could get away with it?" she smiled triumphantly, knowing that try as he might, he wouldn't be able to.

"Anyway," he scowled, "I heard mom and her sister talking. My aunt was saying how proud she was of her little sister, that she 'raised such a successful young man,'" he paused. "Let me add here, my mom is not a happy drunk, but she's not a mean drunk. When she drinks she just gets very," he furrowed his eyebrows, searching for the right word, "very blunt."

"Ok."

"So my aunt was saying that, and my mom's reply, she obviously didn't know I was in earshot, her reply was, 'yeah and to think I was this close,'" he held up his hand imitating her, with his thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart, "'to getting an abortion.'"

"Oh, Ray…"

"Thanks, mom," he said to the absent woman, then briefly turning back to Neela, "yeah, she kind of rained on my parade."

"I don't really know what to say…to that…"

"She still doesn't know I heard her. In fact, you are the only person who knows I heard her." He looked at her, and then turned back away from her again. "I wonder how many people she's told; how many people know."

"I'm—I'm glad she didn't," Neela tried, hesitantly. She reached up and squeezed his shoulder looking sorrowful. Then she got up and started toward the kitchen. "Drink?"

"_Yes_," he answered emphatically, "_please._" She knew that would be his answer, but she asked anyway, not wanting to just get up and walk away from him.

"Here," she handed him a beer and sat back down.

"It's fucked up Neela." He twisted the cap off the bottle and proposed what they should give cheers to, "to …happy things." He couldn't sound less enthusiastic.

"To puppies and rainbows," she said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked a little, it brought out a weak smile.

"To puppies and rainbows," he repeated and they gently knocked the bottles into each other. They drank in silence for several minutes.

"I'm sorry, Ray." He looked over at her.

"For what?"

"For depressing what was a lovely evening, you know, raining on your parade."

"No worries." Then added, "just expect rain at your next parade." He smiled, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless.

--o--

It was Neela's birthday.

Weary from a long day Ray picked up his ringing cell phone, and sighed "yeah?" into the receiver.

"Ray, it's Abby."

"What's up?"

"I need you to delay Neela about 15 minutes."

"Fifteen minutes?! Abby she's about ready to fly out of here, she's just waiting to discuss a consultation with Luka."

"Can you distract Luka?"

"He already doesn't really like me, Abby. And he's not in a particularly good mood."

"He does too like you. Tell him you have a message from Abby, then just tell him we're trying to delay Neela. He knows about the party."

"Oh. Right. Ok, but I can't do any more than 15 minutes." He hung up.

He saw Neela start over to Luka.

"Dr. Kovac, hey, I need to talk to you!"

"Ray, I was about to talk to him," Neela cut in.

"It shouldn't take long. Dr. Kovac?"

"Just a moment, Ray."

"Abby wanted me to tell you now. I just got off the phone with her."

"Sorry, Neela, can you wait one more minute?" Ray shot her pleading eyes as well.

"Fine." She glared at the two men.

"Why did you hang up? Why didn't you just let me talk to her myself?"

"In private?" They went into the nearest empty exam room.

"Is everything all right? Is ther—"

"Dr. Kovac, everything's fine. Abby needs me to delay Neela." Luka exhaled a sigh of relief.

"You scared me Ray."

"Sorry. Think you can take extra long with her?"

"I'll try." He sighed again, knowing how Neela felt—the burning desire of wanting to get out of the hospital; but he also knew how Ray felt—the giddy anticipation of throwing a surprise party for someone. The two men walked out of the exam room.

"Dr. Kovac is everything alright? Is there something wrong with Abby?"

"No, no it's alright, don't worry about it. What do you have for me?"

--o--

"Alright Ray, no more of this, or I'm leaving without you."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

The two doctors exited County General.

"I have never seen you take so bloody long to get out of there!"

"You'll understand later."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it, and if you still don't get it by the time we get back to the apartment, you can ask me again."

"You're infuriating."

"You'll thank me later."

"Don't count on it." She was seriously frustrated with him. "I've got a dinner reservation with Abby and Sam in 45 minutes and I still need to shower and get dressed!" She glared at him. "And we're not even home yet!"

"You'll be fine. It never takes you long to get ready." She crossed her arms and shook her head, refusing to look at him.

--o--

They were walking up the stairs to the apartment.

"Alright, so what did you mean?"

"You're still thinking about that?" He put his key in the door. He pretended it wouldn't turn. He dropped his bag and it made a loud thud. The guests scurried to their places in the living room.

"You are the world's worst roommate, you can't even unlock a bloody door!" She started to reach for it.

"I got it, I got it." He turned the key. Pushing open the door he gestured with his hand, "ladies first."

She walked in and flipped on the light.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Abby! Sam! Dr. Pratt! Dr. Lewis!"

"Please, Neela, Greg." He had told her time and again, but she still called him Dr. Pratt.

Neela turned back to Ray, who had a huge grin on his face.

"Still wondering?"

"You wanker. You bloody wanker." Turning her attention back to her guests, "thank you all very, very much. It _almost_ makes me want to forgive Ray for taking so long at the hospital."

"That's actually my fault, Neela," Dr. Lewis piped up, "Cosmo's babysitter was late, and I missed the El."

"It's quite alright." She was smiling, and he could see her relaxing. "Abby, I didn't know the girls' night out included Dr. Pratt!"

"It doesn't, I just wanted to stop by and wish you happy birthday, before I headed off to my shift. I hope you ladies have a nice dinner and Susan and I are going to go party down at Central."

"Yeah, Neela, I'm working tonight too. I would love to come, but I can't."

"Well, thank you for stopping by, Dr. Lewis, _Greg_, and I hope it's not a busy night." They each gave her a quick hug and left.

"Now go get ready, Neela! Since Susan was running late, I called the restaurant and pushed our reservation back to 8."

"Oh, great Abby!" she replied appreciatively.

"Oh, and Neela?" She was talking to Neela through the bathroom door.

"Hmm?"

"I told you to get that dress a little while ago, for tonight." Neela laughed.

"Alright."

--o--

"Wow, look at all you, can I come?" Ray asked as the three women came out of Neela's room. Sam gave him a look that was decidedly no. "Abby, Sam, have a good time. I'll make you stay and take care of her if you let her get too drunk." Abby rolled her eyes. "Roomie, happy birthday! Oh, and my gig got cancelled, so I'll be here when you get back."

"Oh. Uhm. Ok. Bye."

--o--

"Nice dinner?" Ray asked from the couch as the women entered the apartment.

"Yes it was very good! I ate too much." Abby answered first.

"Abby, your stomach can't _get_ much bigger," Sam noted. They all laughed.

"Cake?" Ray asked, as he stood up and started toward the kitchen.

"There's always room for cake," Abby replied, and Sam agreed.

--o--

"Thank you so much Abby, this was fun!" Neela told her friend and gave her a hug, as she got ready to leave.

"Yes it was, but Ray helped, thank him too."

"No, he owes me." She smiled and glanced over at him, having returned to his place on the couch.

"You're welcome, Roomie."

"Sam, I'm so glad you could come." Neela gave Sam a hug too.

"I am too. We need to do this more. Abby when's your birthday?" They laughed.

"See you tomorrow, Neela, Ray." Abby said as she left the apartment.

"Have a good night!" Sam followed Abby out.

Neela collapsed into the chair at the table where her half eaten cake sat.

"Tired?" Ray asked her walking over from the couch with his hands behind his back.

"Yes. Long day, and a lot of food." She stood up. "And I do thank you, this was really nice. Abby said you were honestly very helpful in planning this." She grinned at him.

"Sit back down a minute."

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Oh whatever will happen?!? hehe...you'll find out soon enough...this is the penultimate chapter...  
Please note: the number of reviews I get is directly proportionate to the speed at which I update :D 


	4. The Gift

Does anyone else get tired of proclaiming their lack of ownership of these characters?

A/N: **This chapter is definitely not T, maybe T+, but probably closer to M…**(does this mean I should change the rating of the story as a whole on the summary thing?)

THANKS! to all the lovely reviewers. Reviews make my day (sad but true, hehe).

So, I said before that the number of reviews is directly proportionate to the speed at which I update. While that is true, the other factor is how much I want to avoid doing my school work. Right now I very much want to avoid work, so here's the final chapter. Enjoy. It's kinda short...sorry...

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**The Gift**

"Ray, I'm tired, and I want to go to bed, and get out of these uncomfortable dress clothes, and shoes…" she objected, though she did sit back down.

"I'd be happy to help you with that."

"Ray, I'm serious."

"I was too," he grinned. "Really, it'll just take a minute. So hang on, I have a birthday present for you. Now close your eyes." She looked at him suspiciously. "It's nice I promise." She shut her eyes. "No peeking!" He stood behind her.

"I'm not." She put her hand over her eyes. He opened the box and removed the necklace.

"No, no, put your hand down." She exhaled loudly, exasperated. He put the necklace around her throat and she jumped as the cold metal and jewels touched her skin. He fastened the clasp and pulled her hair up to let the chain rest on her neck. He leaned over and whispered "happy birthday" in her ear, before resuming the place at the table where his cake sat. She opened her eyes, looking down at the jewelry.

"Ray!" her eyes shot up to his. He smiled at her. "No, Ray, I can't take this." She reached behind her neck to unclip the necklace.

"Yes, you can." He pushed her hands down. "And you will."

"Ray, I really can't." She sounded almost scared.

"Why not?"

"I'm your roommate, Ray." She raised her hand up to touch the precious stones resting on her chest.

"So?"

"So, this costs, like, a month's rent!"

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?"

"No. Don't." His voice became very gentle, "it looks really nice on you."

"Thank you," she answered in an embarrassed whisper, making every effort to avoid eye contact.

"You're beautiful." His voice was a whisper too.

"It better be! It costs as much as this apartment!" She returned to a normal volume, or maybe a little louder.

"I didn't say _it_ is. I said _you_ are." He was still whispering.

"What do you want, Ray?" She was beginning to quiet back down.

"Nothing." She looked at him intently. "Really, nothing."

"Why?"

"Why did I get it?" She glared at him. They both knew that was what she was asking. "To give a birthday present to my friend."

"Good—good night, Ray." She got up abruptly.

"Neela." She kept walking away from him. "Neela!" She spun around. He lifted up the empty light blue box. "Here's the box." She didn't move, so he got up to give it to her. She was hesitant, but she took it.

Forcing herself to look directly at him, she whispered, "thank you." She then retreated to her room. After a few minutes, he heard the box snap shut, followed by a few more minutes of silence. Ray was cleaning up the table, putting the rest of the cake in the fridge and throwing away the unfinished pieces. Neela came out of her room.

"Ray?" She called him from her doorway.

"What?" His back was to her as he filled the dishwasher.

"Can you…help?" He looked back at her. "Unzip?" He smiled.

"Abby zipped you up?" She nodded.

He dried his hands, by wiping them on his pants, as walked over to her. She turned her back to him, and allowed him to pull the zipper down the length of her back. He moved it slowly, feeling as each set of teeth unclipped from each other. It ended just below the top of her underwear. He lifted his hands back up and unclipped her bra. He held his breath, not knowing if she would let him continue or if she would yell at him. The two halves of the clasp fell to either side of her body. She didn't move or say anything. He slid his hands over her shoulders, under the dress and her bra straps. He continued to slide his hands down her arms, slipping the dress off her body. When he got to her hands, the dress and bra fell to the floor. He laced his fingers into hers and lifted her arms. Once they were fully extended, he dragged his fingertips down the insides of her arms and she let her hands fall back and reach around the back of his neck. His hands continued to glide down her torso and slipped under the top of her stockings and underwear. She turned to face him, letting go of his neck only long enough to reposition her hands from her new orientation, and kissed him. His hands had slipped out of her stockings when she turned, and now they rested on the small of her back.

She started moving backwards toward her bed. Stepping over her dress as it lay in a puddle on the floor, he followed her. Once they were standing next to the bed, he slid his hands back under the only clothes remaining on her body. He pushed them down several inches before finally breaking the kiss and laying her on the bed. She raised her hips to allow him to more easily remove her clothing. She now lay on the bed completely naked and he kneeled over her, fully clothed. Noticing this, she quickly reached up and unclipped his belt, unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. He kissed her neck and throat and chest, whatever he could reach as she moved, trying to get him as bare as she was. She slid her hands beneath the clothes and pushed them down as far as they would go with him kneeling. Unable to remove them any further, she ran her hands up his body and under his shirt. Finally, ending his trail of kisses, he stood up to remove the clothes Neela had started taking off.

He fell onto the bed next to her and pulled her on top of him. She started kissing him, making her own trail down his body, torturing him with her slow pace. By the time she made her way down to his hipbones, refusing to go any furthur, he ached from her teasing actions, and he pulled her face back up to his finally able to sate some of his hunger with her mouth. He rolled her over so that she was pinned beneath him and gave her some of the same sweet torture she had given him. They went back and forth bringing the other to the top but not pushing them over. After some time he could no longer stand it, and pleaded with her to let him finish. Unable to refrain any longer herself, she swiftly pulled a condom out of the drawer of her side table and tore it open.

It didn't take long for either of them to explode in ecstasy. He disposed of the used latex before he started torturing her body again. She was aroused to the point of pain and begged him to stop. He did stop teasing, but he refused to stop touching her, moving his hands all over her body, massaging her. Eventually they both exhausted. He pulled her into his sweaty body, and she willingly pressed herself against him. In this way they fell asleep.

Her alarm clock went off just a few hours later. Neela groaned and reached up to turn it off. She twisted herself to face him.

"Hey sleepyhead, I'm going to go take a shower."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he mumbled. She smiled, having intended on that just being a piece of information, rather than an invitation.

As the water heated up, she brushed her teeth and hair. After a few minutes, Ray came in to do the same. She stepped into the tub and pulled the curtain closed.

"Does that mean I'm not allowed in?" he asked sadly.

"No," she replied, "that means I don't want to clean up a big pool of water on the floor."

"Good," he said, joining her.

He let her soapy hands explore his body as she had done in the wee hours of that morning. When she finished she allowed him to do the same. He only got half way down her body before he had her pinned against the wall. He kissed her deeply and she pressed her body against his. After a few minutes, both of them were again fully aroused. He resisted the urge to go all the way, as difficult as that was. Then she started begging him to finish.

"I don't have anything, Neela…"

"You're clean right?" She knew he was from the whole Zoë episode. That was a momentary turnoff.

That was all the information he needed, and he once again entered her. He willed himself to go as long as he could before releasing her. Once she went over the top he allowed himself to as well. They washed their own bodies quickly, and got out of the shower. He handed her a towel and she dried and wrapped herself in it. Unable to resist, he pulled her into another kiss. She broke it.

"Ray," she whispered, "we need to be at work in 30 minutes." He nodded, resigned to the truth. She returned to her room, pausing in the doorway to pick up her dress. After she hung it up she turned around and saw Ray standing in the doorway. "Go get dressed!"

"One more time…" he suggested coyly.

"Ray…"

"I'll be quick, if you'll be quick."

"Oh I'll be quick," she admitted.

Removing the towels, their two naked bodies returned to the bed. They were, in fact, both quick. Laughing at how easily they satisfied each other, he pulled her into him again.

"So should I be expecting a thank you card?"

"No," she smiled, "and that was just for a necklace."

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Sappy but fun :) hope you enjoyed. I don't think it's my best work so review and tell me how to improve...please... :)  



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